Japanese drum concerts returns to TROY

TROY – A special children’s workshop and a public performance featuring the Ronin Taiko performers combine music and physical prowess in a traditional Japanese drum concert at Troy University.

The public performance is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 in the Claudia Crosby Theatre. Tickets are $10, and $5 for children 12 and under or TROY students. The concert is also part of the Troy Arts Council Season Subscription.

“Taiko,” or Japanese traditional drum, carries special significance and is used in religious ceremonies, wartime and in celebrations. The sound has often been compared to a reflection of one’s own heartbeat.

“It combines dance, music, religion and art,” said Dr. Maryjo Cochran, dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts, which is sponsoring the event as part of its “Experience Asia” initiative.

“There’s really no way you can’t feel the performance as well as see and hear it – it brings in all your senses and immerses you in the concert,” she said.

Some 350 area school children will be treated to a workshop prior to the Saturday public concert. That initiative is made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Troy Arts Council, Dr. Cochran said.